Open Call for 2016 Artist-in-Residence Program at Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska

Since 2001, the Artist-in-Residence program at Denali National Park and Preserve has hosted 60 accomplished artists, writers, and composers. Following a 10-day residency, each participant volunteers to lead a public outreach activity with visitors and to donate one piece of finished artwork to the program collection. For a two-year trial period beginning in 2016, the program will explore a preference for digital and performance-based donations rather than physical pieces. Artists are challenged to create artwork and activities for visitors that offer a fresh and innovative perspective of the park drawn from their own experience.

The program seeks qualified and accomplished artists, writers, and composers with demonstrated achievement in creating pieces that are both high in artistic merit and accessible for general audiences. The music composition residency draws upon successful foundations in Composing in the Wilderness and Denali Music Festival programs, which emphasize contemporary classical music. The final product should be a notated chamber piece for traditional instruments found in classical orchestral repertoire, with optional use of electronics and/or projection. Within this general framework, there are no stylistic requirements.

Winter residencies (one writer, one artist) may include up to four nights at the historic Upper Savage Cabin near Mile 13 of the Denali Park Road with no electricity or running water, followed by six nights in shared apartment-style housing at Park Headquarters. Summer residencies (one writer, one composer, two visual artists) are scheduled between June and September at ranger patrol cabins in remote settings. Summer residencies typically begin on a Tuesday with arrival at Park Headquarters, followed by nine nights at a cabin site, and conclude with a Thursday outreach activity at the Denali Visitor Center and one final night at Park Headquarters. All residents must provide their own transportation to and from the park, as well as supplies, provisions, clothing, and outdoor gear. No stipend is provided. Each resident may bring one adult guest. Residents must have a valid driver's license and be willing to drive according to prescribed rules. Summer outreach activities typically take place at 3 pm on Thursday afternoons and can last 45 to 90 minutes, with participants usually limited to 12 to 24 by advance registration. Residents are each allowed to spend up to $150 for activity materials and supplies. All finished pieces are due at the park by December 31 of the calendar year in which the residency takes place. Visual artists should submit six images, artist statement, artist resume, image list, plans for public outreach at the park, and plans for public outreach at home. Writers should submit one-page writing sample (12-point font, single-spaced, PDF), writer statement, writer resume, and outreach plans. Composers should submit three compositions with PDF scores and MP3 audio file excerpts limited to five minutes each, composer statement, composer resume, and outreach plans. Applications are accepted through CallForEntry.org from May 1 through September 30 each year for residencies during the winter and summer of the following year. Selection is made on the basis of entry materials, vision, innovative responses to the park, and recognized accomplishment. Formal invitations are typically extended by December 15, followed by public announcement of selections early in the new calendar year.